Adobe · Photoshop desktop on Windows or macOS

Troubleshoot Photoshop 'Not Enough RAM' Errors

Source-checked 15 August 2026About 5 minutes

Answer

Close other images and apps. In Edit > Preferences > Performance on Windows or Photoshop > Settings > Performance on macOS, raise Let Photoshop Use by 5 percentage points, never above 85%. Restart and retry. If only one large document fails, reduce a copy; if every document fails, update Photoshop. Never add the old Photoshop RAM registry override.

Save and free memory once

Save the document and note the exact command named in the error. Close other open Photoshop documents and any apps you do not need, then repeat that command once. Adobe identifies multiple open images as a direct cause of out-of-RAM errors. If the command now works, stop; no settings change is needed.

Give Photoshop 5% more RAM

On Windows, choose Edit > Preferences > Performance. On macOS, choose Photoshop > Settings > Performance. Under Memory Usage, note the current Let Photoshop Use percentage, increase it by 5 percentage points without going above 85%, and select OK. Quit and reopen Photoshop so the change takes effect, then repeat the same command.

Find out whether one document is the problem

Open a small known-good image and try the same command when that command is available there. If the small image works, the original document needs more memory than the current setup can provide; continue with Step 4. If the same error appears in small documents too, skip to Step 5.

Reduce only the working copy

Use File > Save a Copy and keep the original unchanged. If the final output permits less image data, use Image > Image Size to reduce pixel dimensions, or Image > Mode > 8 Bits/Channel for a 16-bit or 32-bit document. Adobe warns that converting to 8 bits deletes image data, so never perform that conversion on the only copy. Repeat the failed command and inspect the result before replacing any deliverable.

Update Photoshop for an app-wide error

If small documents fail too, install the current Photoshop update from the Creative Cloud desktop app, restart Photoshop, and test again. Do not add the old Photoshop RAM override in the Windows registry: Adobe says the issue behind that workaround was fixed in Photoshop CC 19.1.5. If you previously added the value, use Adobe's linked removal instructions and registry-backup warning instead of creating or changing it again.

If it does not work

If Let Photoshop Use is already 85%, do not raise it. Close other documents and apps, reduce the document's demand in a copy, or check whether the computer has enough physical RAM for the work.
If Photoshop also says the scratch disk is full or low on space, treat that as a separate storage problem. Open Edit > Preferences > Scratch Disks on Windows or Photoshop > Settings > Scratch Disks on macOS, select a drive with ample free space, choose OK, and restart Photoshop.
If Performance settings show 'An integer between 96 and 8 is required,' update Photoshop first. Adobe associates that message with an old fixed issue and says to remove its previously created RAM registry value, not add one.
If the error remains in small documents after the update and no old registry override exists, record the exact command, Photoshop version, operating system, current memory percentage, and whether the small-file test failed before contacting Adobe Support. Do not stack registry edits, RAM-optimizer software, or blanket service changes onto an unidentified failure.

Sources and verification

Checked against official documentation on 15 August 2026. Scope: Photoshop desktop on Windows or macOS.

Source-checked against current Adobe guidance. The page is deliberately image-free: both platform paths and the Let Photoshop Use control are exact, while a screenshot of another computer's recommended RAM range could encourage the wrong value. The four migrated visuals were rejected because they depict the obsolete registry workaround, generic Task Manager cleanup, GeForce Experience, or Windows Update rather than a current cross-platform decision point.